Snapler

Some years ago, I was invited to speak at the Riverside County Medical Association in Southern California. A contaminant called perchlorate had been detected in the water supply, and the local physicians were concerned. I outlined the health data on perchlorate, including the fact that it blocks uptake of iodine into the thyroid gland and thereby blocks normal production of thyroid hormones. I also reviewed the science on how subtle disruption of thyroid function can permanently impair normal brain development in the fetus and neonate. Finally, I described the multiple sources of perchlorate pollution – including water contamination from rocket fuel and fireworks manufacturing. I closed by sharing the latest monitoring data, which showed that 402 public water systems serving 40.8 million people in 27 states, the District of Columbia and two U.S. territories had perchlorate in their treated water or in their water sources.  California had the largest number of systems with perchlorate detections.

After my talk, an elderly physician in the audience stood up. He explained that he had spent his entire career treating patients with thyroid disease in this community. He said: “Now we learn that something in the water may be contributing to thyroid disease. What am I supposed to do about it? More importantly, what am I supposed to tell my patients? Should I tell them not to drink the water?” He went on to say: “I’m not a big fan of Government, but in this case we need the government to get involved and deal with this problem.” I agreed with him. This isn’t something health care providers and their patients should have to struggle with. This is EPA’s job.

Over five years have passed since then, and although California and other states have taken some action on this known endocrine disruptor, the EPA has failed to act.